What are the therapeutic benefits of the EMS 5.0?

The benefits of the EMS 5.0 unit can be summed up in terms of muscle re-education, muscle atrophy, osteoarthritis, and pressure sore prevention.

Muscle re-education by way of electrical stimulation is an early part of the physical rehabilitation process that takes place after an injury has led to the disuse of one or more muscles. The objective is to build basic tone and strength in weak muscles, and it is achieved through the forced contraction of muscles in a coordinated sequence to improve cognitive connection between movement and brain. After getting started with the EMS 5.0, the patients can move on to more demanding physical activity on their own.

Muscle atrophy is the name given to a loss of muscle mass that can occur as a result of several different conditions, including alcohol-associated myopathy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, burns, dermatomyositis and polymyositis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, injury, long-term corticosteroid therapy, malnutrition, motor neuropathy, muscular dystrophy, immobilization, polio, rheumatoid arthritis, spinal cord injury, and stroke. The EMS 5.0 can be used to prevent or slow down the progress of muscle atrophy by activating weakened muscles that can’t move individually.

Osteoarthritis, the most frequent form of arthritis, is a painful and even crippling degradation of joint tissues mainly in the hands, neck, lower back, knees and hips, usually caused by wear and aging. Its symptoms include pain, tenderness, stiffness, loss of flexibility, a grating sensation, and bone spurs. There is no cure for osteoarthritis; however, electrical muscle stimulation has been shown to be effective in improving mobility in patients with osteoarthritis, for instance by strengthening knee extensor muscles. The EMS 5.0 may be used in conjunction with other treatments, such as medications, physical and occupational therapy, braces and shoe inserts, and surgery.

Pressure sores are a result of prolonged sitting or lying down, as is the case of wheelchair-bound or bedridden patients. The constant application of pressure to a specific part of the body can lead to this type of ulcers. Application of the EMS 5.0 to the gluteus maximus can help to maintain proper buttock shape and avoid deformities, in turn lowering the risk of pressure sores. Pressure sores appear in a four-stage process, and once they have set in they are very difficult to treat and may lead to sepsis, cellulitis, bone and joint infections, and even cancer; hence, time is of the essence.